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Man Utd takeover: Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'causing uncertainty at second club' in new update
Manchester United takeover: Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains hopeful of buying the club.
Ten Hag details meeting with Ratcliffe amid Man Utd bid
Nice are in the dark over their transfer budget for the summer as Sir Jim Ratcliffe continues to pursue a takeover of Manchester United, according to reports. The INEOS chief has made three bids so far. Latest murmurings, however, suggest Sheikh Jassim is in pole position instead.
According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Nice face a difficult transfer window ahead.
And that’s because they don’t know how much money they’ll have to spend on fresh reinforcements, with Ratcliffe preoccupied with buying United.
The 70-year-old has made three bids for United so far but remains in the dark, with the Glazers yet to provide clarity.
Nice are yet to appoint a new manager following the recent departure of Didier Digard.
Young sporting director Florent Ghisolfi was appointed earlier this season but, despite drawing up a plan of ‘measured ambition’, is unable to proceed.
While Ratcliffe wants to buy United, recent reports have suggested Sheikh Jassim is now the frontrunner in the race to buy the club.
The Qatari billionaire has made five offers for the Red Devils so far.
And with the Glazers thought to be determined sellers behind the scenes, Sheikh Jassim may end up seizing power instead.
Ratcliffe is willing to let brothers Joel and Avram Glazer stay at United in reduced roles.
Yet this has sparked a backlash, with many fans wanting to see the back of the family instead.
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Ratcliffe has previously hailed the Glazers, with his comments also angering United supporters.
Back in October, he said: “Manchester United is owned by the Glazer family, whom I have met.
“I’ve met Joel and Avram and they are the nicest people, I have to say, they are proper gentlemen.
“They don't want to sell it. It's owned by the six children of the father and they don't want to sell it.
“If it had been for sale in the summer then, yes, we would have probably had a go following on from the Chelsea thing, but we can't sit around hoping that one day Manchester United will become available.
“We have an exciting sporting franchise [Ligue 1 side Nice], but the one thing we don't have is a Premier [League] team.
“The most popular sport in the world is football and it is the sport we were brought up with and it's the one most close to us. We really should have an asset in the sporting franchise.”
United legend Gary Neville, meanwhile, recently insisted he didn’t have a takeover candidate preference.
Neville told the Manchester Evening News: "I don't mind, I genuinely don't.
“I’d like the Glazers to leave in full, even now with how they're dealing with the sale process, which means it's ultimately dragged out.
"They can't make a decision and there are other examples of that. They can't deal with things that are difficult.
“Hopefully we can have a full exit, but with the Ratcliffe bid, it looks like a part exit with two of them staying [Joel and Avram]. I don't like the idea of that.
"If that bid comes forward and is successful, which is the talk, I'd like to think there's a fixed exit for the Glazer brothers organised in let's say, two years, so we know they're leaving.
“Ratcliffe comes in and brings in another investor to take them out."